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a winter Cow to tDa West mms: 

^ ^ ^ 

THE bright, cold, blustery morning of January 10, 1903, 
saw that mighty leviathan of the deep, the German 
steamship, "Moltke," slowly back out of her slip at 
Hoboken, and, stately gliding down the Hudson, 
start on the cruise toward the tropics. The substantial sky- 
scrapers of Manhattan Island, the fort and barracks on Gover- 
nor's Island, and the Statue of Liberty were soon left behind. 
Running successfully the gauntlet of Forts Lafayette and 
Wadsworth, the steamer passed by the high bluffs of Staten 
Island, with its beautiful residences, and;the low, sandy beach 
of Coney Island, with its mammoth hotels, high towers, and 
other attractions. 

Storm-tossed Atlantic liners, whose bulwarks and funnels, 
roughly marked with spray and ice, betrayed their fierce tussle 
with the North Atlantic in winter, were gladly coming into 
port. Their occupants, doubtless, viewed with mingled feel- 
ings the "Moltke", as she majestically and steadily steamed 
outward and southward upon the open sea. Some may have 
felt, like Samuel Johnson, that "being in a ship is being in a 
jail, with the chances of being drowned." But our party felt 
otherwise, exulting: 

"The sea ! The sea ! The open sea ! 
The blue, the fresh, the ever free ! 
I'm on the sea ! I'm on the sea ! 
I am, where I would ever be, 
With the blue above and the blue below. 
And silence, whereso'er I go. 
I never was on the dull, tame shore, 
But I loved the great sea more and more." 

Perhaps, — to be frank, — one reason, why the ocean-voyage 
was personally so delightful, was that my brother and I, travel- 
ling together, tried to be mutually helpful. Fortunately for 
me, seasickness fell to his lot, thus leaving me entirely free 
from this nauseating annoyance. 

This colossal steamer, "Moltke", although not a swift 
"ocean greyhound," is a triumph of modern naval architecture. 

*Read before the Rural Art Society of Clinton^ N. Y, 



4 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

She is equipped with quadruple expansion engines, is provided 
with a bilge-keel, which keeps her remarkably steady, and has 
electric lights and fans in her social halls, dining saloons, bar- 
ber shop, and staterooms. Moreover, as a most useful novelty 
on shipboard, she is provided with a gymnasium, modeled on 
the Swedish method. This is in a special room on the upper 
deck. Here is an apparatus for horseback exercises, with an 
ordinary saddle for men and a side-saddle for women. 
Since all the apparatus is operated by electricity, one has sim- 
ply to turn on the electric current, when, presto! the trotting, 
cantering or galloping begins, according as the crank is regu- 
lated. Another apparatus, called "The Camel", is also for 
riding. It has a very broad saddle and gives the rider a variety 
of jerky, sidewise motions. The "Vibrator" consists of a 
bright, metallic ball, ingeniously contrived so as to revolve in 
a sort of metallic cup, and it is applied by the attendant to 
different parts of the body. This novel gymnasium contains 
various other mechanisms of peculiar devices, either for fric- 
tion, massage or vibration, while the gymnast (or, rather, 
"patient") remains passive in using these health-giving 
machines. 

An elegantly furnished grill-room is a boon to all who, hav- 
ing sensitive stomachs, may not always care to risk sitting 
down to a regular "table d'hote", with its fashionable but 
tedious routine of course after course. This grill-room is also 
patronized by any who may desire, at irregular hours, tooth- 
some, hot steak or chops, fresh from the grill. 

Leaning upon the front rail under the captain's bridge, as 
this immense German steamship of 12,000 tons and 8,000 horse 
power steamed out of the fine harbor of America's foremost 
city, we entered into conversation with a fellow American, as 
to why the United States did not produce such steamers as this 
fine product of a German shipyard. The New York and Porto 
Rico Steamship Company is an American line, but, until re- 
cently, it has had only two steamers, the "Ponce" and "San 
Juan", each of 3,500 tons, while their newest steamer, the 
"Coamo," is of 5,000 tons. The mammoth "Moltke" is of 
12,000 tons, or considerably larger than twice the size of the 
"Coamo," the latest addition to the New York and Porto 
Rico line. We Americans could not help feeling somewhat 
humiliated to be obliged to sail under the Gernian fiag,^ if \ve, 



A Winter Tour to the West Indies. 5 

desired to avail ourselves of the advantages possessed by this 
fine, big specimen of modern naval art. Perhaps some day 
Congress will wake up to the necessity of helping American 
shipping, both naval and mercantile. 

The Germans are a very genial race. After the formalities 
are once over, one begins to feel the genuineness of their 
hospitality. A real heartiness of welcome is manifest in their 
treatment — a making one's self at home — Gejnuethlichkeit, 
which is as refreshing as it is admirable. One day, our good- 
natured, portly captain presented each tourist, who was on the 
promenade deck, with a tasteful, ornamental button, personally 
going around and pinning one to each voyager, whether they 
were standing, or reclining on steamer chairs. One lady, who 
was peacefully sleeping in her chair, was somewhat startled, 
on awakening suddenly, to see the sturdy Teuton bending over 
her. Soon perceiving his benevolent intention, she resumed 
her usual composure, politely thanked the captain for the 
decoration, and soon was sweetly dozing away as before. 

One afternoon, our attention was directed to great brown 
masses of floating seaweed, such as inspired that intrepid navi- 
gator, Columbus, with fresh hope on his first voyage over 
these same waters. 

Early Sunday morning, while we were still slumbering, 
although our watches indicated 7 o'clock, it was a most pleas- 
ant sensation to be awakened by sweet strains of sacred music, 
played by a skilled band. We recognized "Ein feste Burg ist 
unser Gott," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", and "Nearer, My God, 
to Thee." 

The Germans afloat, as well as in their fatherland, display 
their national fondness for music. Twice daily we are favored 
with concerts, every morning at 10 and every evening at 9. 
Besides this, appropriate national airs are played by the band, 
as we enter the different ports. 

Flying fish became more numerous as we approached the 
islands, while schools of porpoises were sporting over and 
through the waves of the sea. Opera glasses, field glasses and 
telescopes were leveled at one of the gunboats from the 
"White Squadron" under the command of Dewey. As we 
passed by Culebra, the headquarters of the recent naval ma- 
neuvers, we could distinctly see several men-of-war lying at 
anchor in its sheltered bay. 



6 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

On our first day out, the sea was smooth, but the air was bit- 
ter cold. When we arrived at the beautiful harbor of St. 
Thomas, the bulletin announced, that the thermometer in New 
York was five degrees below zero. Twenty-four hours or so 
after leaving New York, we were sailing in the mild waters of 
the Gulf Stream. Before long, winter clothing became oppres- 
sive. A day or two before casting anchor at St. Thomas, the 
thermometer registered from 79 to 84 degrees, Fahrenheit, in 
the shade, with doors, windows and portholes all wide open, 
and electric fans buzzing at their greatest rapidity. 

After a delightfully restful voyage of four days, away from 
the frigid north, the "Moltke" steamed into the famous, pic- 
turesque harbor of the mountainous island of St. Thomas, 
anchoring in the center of the harbor within full view of its 
only town, Charlotte Amelia. This settlement is charmingly 
built upon three hills, with high, verdure-clad mountains 
stretching far away in the background. Two of these hills are 
crowned by castles, one called "Bluebeard's Castle", and the 
other "Blackbeard's Castle", formerly the abode of buccaneers, 
who ravaged the coasts of the Spanish main on their piratical 
excursions. Those tourists who clambered, as we did, to the 
top of "Bluebeard's Castle", were amply repaid for their 
exertions by the entrancing, extensive view of the surrounding 
country, with its pomegranates, palm and orange trees, cacti, 
banana groves and sugar plantations. Still it was only by 
enforced mental effort, that one could really believe that, 
while we were in the midst of all this luxuriant, tropical vege- 
tation with midsummer weather, midwinter blasts, with snow 
and cold, raged in New York, only four days away. 

Our attention was directed to a rectangular, whitened slope 
near the base of a mountain. The soil had been scraped off 
and the place had been specially prepared with whitewash, so 
that rainwater could be collected to be distilled for drinking 
purposes. This same method of collecting water is in vogue 
at Aden, Arabia, and in the Bermudas, and other places, where 
springs or wells are unavailable. 

These Danish islands have a peculiar fascination for the 
student of history. Hither came the noble-hearted Count 
Zinzendorf to investigate the conditions of the early persecuted 
Moravian missionaries and the oppression of the lower classes. 
By his kindly, tactful and persistent efforts he succeeded in 



A Winter Tour to the West Indies. 7 

improving the status of both. The present Moravian bishop 
was off at Antigua on one of his regular tours, but his wife 
courteously showed us around the mission premises, including 
the school and the commodious, airy church, where the ser- 
vices are conducted in the English language. Although St. 
Thomas is now a Danish possession, nearly all the inhabitants, 
white and colored, speak English. What is the significance of 
this almost universal prevalence of the English tongue on 
these Danish islands? Does it not indicate a powerful and, 
perhaps, an irresistible undercurrent, which will, sooner or later, 
sweep them under the benign sway of the stars and stripes ? 

The honesty of the inhabitants, casually observed, impressed 
several of our fellow passengers, and we also had an instance of 
it. We met an old colored woman selling fruit. Espying two 
mangoes upon her tray, among other strange-looking fruit, we 
pointed to the mangoes and asked, "How much?" She re- 
plied, "Seven cents". Thereupon we took up one of the man- 
goes, paid her the money, and started to walk away. Instantly 
she called us back, and taking up the other mango, handed it 
to us, saying, "How could I do this?" meaning, how could she 
take an unfair advantage, because we were ignorant of the 
market price. 

Morro Castle, on its lofty promontory, with the ocean waves 
wildly dashing into foam at the base, renders the approach to 
San Juan, Porto Rico, most grand and imposing. Morro 
Castle, like the famous Alcazar at Toledo, Spain, frowns 
proudly down from its massive, towering battlements upon 
any presumptuous intruder. Admiral Sampson, with his fleet 
three miles away, in vain assailed this impregnable fortress 
during the summer of 1898. Then he sailed away to Santiago 
de Cuba, where victory crowned the valiant exploits of the 
American navy. Today, the stars and stripes float peacefully 
over this grand old citadel. Our party of tourists rambled at 
leisure over its ramparts, through its tunneled passages, up and 
down its inclined walks, and peered into its dark, dismal dun- 
geons. 

After passing Morro Castle and entering the inner harbor, 
our hearts were further cheered by the sight of the U. S. gun- 
boat "Bancroft" and four large, trim, steam yachts, all flying 
the American flag. The waters of the harbor were enlivened 
by numerous small native craft, rigged with the peculiar lateen 



8 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

sail, whose eccentric picturesqueness so greatly enhances the 
intrinsic persuasive charm of the natural scenery of the Swiss 
lakes and the Riviera. While these swift sailboats were dart- 
ing back and forth under a fresh breeze, a shaky specimen of 
an antediluvian ferryboat was slowly pushing its way across 
the same waters to the squalid town of Catano, on the opposite 
side. 

In the evening, citizens and strangers gather en masse in the 
spacious plaza of San Juan to promenade or to lounge in the 
many rocking-chairs, ranged in two long rows, while listening 
to music by a native brass band^ — an evening scene similar to 
the popular concourse in the noted Piazza di San Marco in 
Venice. 

Adams, Adams Center, Pierrepont Manor and Watertown 
were frequently recurring words in our conversation with 
Bishop Van Buren and his amiable wife, in their hired house 
at San Juan, Porto Rico. They seemed pleased that we had 
recently visited these thriving towns of Northern New York. 
His mother had been born in Pierrepont Manor, and his birth- 
place was Watertown, N. Y. He related this incident, occur- 
ing when he was a little tot in skirts, as he was traveling by 
rail with his mother. When the train was nearing Adams 
Center, the conductor shouted out the name of this thrifty 
village, Adams Center, which sounded to his boyish ears, 
"Adam sent her". In his childish innocence and eager 
inquisitiveness, he jumped up on his seat and, looking all 
around so as to see this historically interesting female, whom 
Adam had sent, shouted out to the amusement of the passen- 
gers and to the dismay of his mother, "Where is she"? But 
Eve, the mother of us all, was nowhere to be seen. 

"Moltke" tourists, wearing the ship's hatband or decorative 
button, presented by our captain, were much in evidence in 
San Juan, Porto Rico, during the summerlike day of mid-winter, 
Jan. 15, 1903. They could be seen examining the vast castles, 
Morro and Christabel, which guarded opposite limits of this 
island city, strolling about the public squares, gathering at the 
postofifice, sauntering along the streets, frequenting the hotels, 
cafes and shops, and riding in carriages and trolley cars. Many 
were equipped with kodaks, which they persistently aimed at 
the peculiar, quaint sights in this recently acquired possession 
of Uncle Sam. 



A Winter Tour to the West Indies. g 

Out of courtesy to the large number of Americans on board 
the S. S. "Moltke," Gov. Hunt gave a formal reception to all 
the passengers and officers. The reception was held about 
noon in the governor's palace, — an old, commodious Spanish 
structure, — surrounded with spacious grounds, adorned with 
unfamiliar tropical trees, vines, shrubs and flowers. While 
Gov. Hunt, assisted by his wife and daughter, was busy wel- 
coming his guests, a military band was playing in the garden, 
so that the soft strains of music were wafted through the wide- 
open windows and doors into the various apartments, through 
which the tourists were rambling. Meeting the governor in a 
room adjoining the reception hall, he volunteered us informa- 
tion concerning that small room, as well as the more spacious 
apartments on the farther side, which, he said, was in earlier 
days the official "Crown Room". In its center we noticed a 
large, handsome, mahogany table. Gov. Hunt is a graduate of 
Yale of the celebrated class of '78, being a classmate of Gov. 
W. H. Taft, of the Philippines, and of U. S. Consul Bowen, of 
Venezuela. 

Oranges, cocoanuts, bananas and other tropical fruit were 
for sale on the streets. We bought two large, juicy, sweet 
oranges for one cent, and one large, fresh cocoanut for three 
cents. The seller of the cocoanut was provided with a large, 
swordlike knife, called a "machete". With this weapon, by a 
swift stroke, he deftly clipped off the upper section of the nut, 
so that we might quench our thirst with its lucid, luscious juice. 
Some of our passengers were persuaded to invest their loose 
coin in enormous, tawdry fans, on which were depicted typical 
Spanish scenes, especially bull fights. 

Both while walking in the city and riding in the country, our 
attention was drawn to many schoolhouses, with scholars of 
both sexes, inside at work or out at play. The fine Normal 
School, located a short distance outside the city, was a proof of 
the progress, which Supt. Lindsay was making in dispelling the 
prevalent illiteracy of the populace before Porto Rico came 
under the enlightened sway of the United States. Another 
distinct sign of American influence was not in study, but in 
play. On several vacant lots, native men and boys as well as 
U. S. soldiers off duty were playing, not the popular Spanish 
"Pelota", but the American national game of baseball. 

On the day of our visit, the Hall of Deputies was overcrowd- 



10 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

ed with a dense crowd, eager to witness the display of oratory 
over certain disputed election cases. The enthusiasm of the 
excited auditors vented itself in loud applause, as in other 
lands, where popular assemblages exist. 

A marble statue of Columbus in one city square and a 
bronze one of Ponce de Leon in another, rather abruptly car- 
ried one's thoughts back to the adventurous days of the dis- 
covery of these islands, some four centuries ago. A trim, mod- 
ern trolley car brought us to a park, in the midst of an exten- 
sive cocoanut grove, bordering the ocean. The luxuriant 
growth of palms along the ocean-side bore a striking resem- 
blance to a similar scene along the palm beach by Mt. Lavinia- 
near Colombo, Ceylon, where in November, 1899, "Tommy 
Atkins" was enjoying the sport of gathering and sampling 
fresh cocoanuts, while resting there on his way to the Boer 
war. 

Somewhat weary with sightseeing under the hot, broiling 
rays of a tropical sun, we gladly sat down in the shade on a 
settee along the promenade, facing the ocean. Not many rods 
from the shore the surf, dashing high its white, foamy spray, 
revealed a dangerous, hidden coral reef. While we were be- 
ginning leisurely to enjoy the rich magnificence of this gor- 
geous scenic panorama of land, sea and sky, we chanced to look 
upward. To our surprise, we saw that we were directly under 
a huge cluster of large cocoanuts, some still green and 
others brown and ripe, as if ready to fall at any moment. 
Without much ado, we decided to shift our seats and not delay 
any longer, in order to ascertain whether the strong wind, 
which seemed to be freshening every minute, might not shake 
some of these down on our crania. If fruit from a high tree had 
to fall upon our heads, we would decidedly prefer the small, 
ripe cherries of the homeland to the huge, hard cocoanuts of 
the tropics. 

Time flies! This is a trite saying, but sometimes its truth 
fairly startles us. Two of our passengers of the same name, 
"Weekes", were together pacing the deck one evening, en- 
gaged in animated conversation, perhaps trying to trace the 
Weekes genealogy, so as to see whether they were related. 
Just as these two gentlemen were promenading past us, a friend 
of one of the Weekes spoke out in a loud voice, so that all 
around could hear: "How fast time flies! Two Weekes have 



A Winter Tour to the West Indies. n 

just gone by." That being the case, we must hasten. As we 
sail rapidly by the Windward Islands, we descry on the hori- 
zon the small British Isle, Nevis, the birthplace of that indus- 
trious patriot, Alexander Hamilton, whose name honors our 
College on the Hill. The rapid tropical growth around him 
was paralleled by a corresponding precocious mental growth. 
At the age of twelve, young Hamilton wrote from Nevis: "I 
contemn the groveling condition of a clerk * * * and 
would willingly risk my life, though not my character, to 
exalt my station. * * I mean to prepare the way for futur- 
ity." Plis preparation, including his studies at King's College, 
now Columbia University, N. Y., made his futurity tell for the 
welfare of our country. His rare genius, providentially dis- 
cerned by Washington, was displayed mainly along financial 
lines and in the unification of our government. The realiza- 
tion of Hamilton's "futurity" exhibits this native son of the 
tropics, as the indispensable adviser of Washington. 

Daybreak of the 17th of January found our mammoth 
steamer cruising along the coast of Martinique. Rounding a 
cape, there loomed up Mont Pelee, which on May 8th, 1902, 
had so suddenly belched its deadly volume of superheated 
steam, utterly destroying, in a few minutes, the gay, busy 
city of St. Pierre with its 30,000 inhabitants. Not far away 
from the scene of his late murderous rage was that dreaded 
monster, Mont Pelee, standing aghast and gasping for breath, 
while trying to hide his guilty head in dark clouds of dense 
smoke, as if actually ashamed of this his latest infernal out- 
break, out-Heroding Herod. 

Our tourists were soon scattered over this modern Pompeii, 
examining the ruins and searching for relics. Many wrecked 
shops and a bank-vault near by furnished specimens worth 
preserving. Some found business-letters, invoices, and new, 
crisp local bank-notes from an opened safe. One man, poking 
in the ashes, picked up a five franc silver coin, the size of a 
silver dollar. Others gathered silver spoons, china saucers, 
bowls and plates, some of which were artistically ornamented. 
One passenger, a physician, picked up a human skull, as one 
of his trophies, which he carried with him to the ship. 

Most extraordinary was the clambering over the ruins and 
wandering through these extensive heaps of fallen buildings 
in the boiling rays of a fierce tropical sun. Perspiration poured 



12 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

forth from every pore and rolled down the body as freely as 
in a Russian bath. Still the visit was unique, so that, notwith- 
standing the physical torture, not a single regret could be 
heard, except for a longer time in which to inspect these fas- 
cinating but woeful ruins. Some of us climbed up the side of 
a hill, picking up relics and relishing the superb view, but none 
of us had the time or spirit of the ardent Irishman, who wanted 
to climb to the top of the volcano, so that he might get near 
to the "dear old crater's mouth". 

A handsome marble statue of the celebrated beauty, Empress 
Josephine, the first wife of Bonaparte, adorns the center of the 
park at Fort de France. The statue of the Empress Josephine, 
picturesquely guarded by tall, stately royal palms, recalls a 
most striking coincidence. Both these distinguished French 
subjects, Bonaparte and Josephine, were born far away on 
insular extremes of French rule; one lived in infancy on a 
French island in Ihe Mediterranean, and the other on a French 
island in the Caribbean; but, amid the strange mutations of 
life, both united their fortunes at Paris, the very heart of 
France. 

Our tour in the West Indies included visiting eight tropical 
islands, but the gem of them all was Grenada. Grenada lies 
at the extreme south of our route, and is farther south than 
Timbuctoo in Africa, Madras in India, and Manila in the Phil- 
ippines. A horseback ride of seven miles to the summit of an 
extinct volcano afforded ever changing vistas of gorgeous 
natural beauty and revealed somewhat the exceeding loveliness 
of the landscape and, if we may be allowed a Britishism, of its 
seascape also. Grenada reminds one vividly of those bewitch- 
ing, picturesque bits of indescribably lovely scenery, which 
make Japan so irresistibly charming, — "a thing of beauty and 
a joy forever". 

A notice, which we saw as we rode along, struck us as 
rather odd. It read like this: "Harvest Thanksgiving in St. 
Peter's Church, February 5th, 1903." Just to think of it ! 
Harvest Thanksgiving in February! 

The variety and profusion of the tropical vegetation were a 
constant delight. We rode past the beautiful mango tree with 
its dark, glossy leaves, the grotesque bread-fruit, the graceful 
royal palm, the nutmeg and orange trees, orchids, vines, pine- 
apples, castors, foliage and sensitive plants. It was a noyel 



A Winter Tour of the West Indies. 13 

equestrian feat to lean over our horses one side and touch 
with our whips these wild, sensitive plants and notice how 
quickly they would shrivel up, closinjT their delicate leaves. 
The cocoa tree, from whose fruit cocoa and chocolate are 
made, was quite a curiosity. Its fruit, the large yellow cocoa 
pod, was seen growing not only on the boughs, as fruit 
ordinarily does, but also fantasticall}/ with short stems upon 
the main trunks of the trees, as though some boy in fun had 
stuck them there, just as presents are sometimes fastened 
upon over-ladened Christmas trees. 

The famous Bog Walk at Kingston, Jamaica, was well 
patronized. Our plan to spend one night at a native village 
was abandoned, after we had seen the untidiness of their bed- 
chambers and had observed the lizards darting over the 
bedsteads. 

Never will be effaced from our memories the glorious morn- 
ing, when we skirted along the wild, wooded coasts near 
Santiago de Cuba. The broad bosom of the ocean was 
perfectly smooth, excepting the rythmical swell of the sea. 
The sun was shining in his pristine brightness. The air was 
calm and balmy, when upon the fresh morning breeze were 
wafted the patriotic strains, "O say, can you see by the dawn's 
early light"! Right before us were the latest evidences of the 
decadent power of Spain; the "Oquendo" beached on the 
Cuban coast, with its hull entirely above the water line and its 
two gigantic smokestacks in bright yellow, as if recently 
painted. Further down the coast was the "Viscaya", similarly 
beached, but she had sunk a little deeper into the ocean and 
her hull and smokestacks displayed the rust of time. The 
Spaniards off Santiago suffered as complete a defeat, as did 
the Persians at Salamis, when 

"A king sat on the rocky brow, 
Which looks o'er sea-born Salamis; 
And ships by thousands lay below. 
And men in nations; — all were his! 
He counted them at break of day — 
And, when the sun set, where were they?" 

And what shall I say more? For the time would fail me to 
tell of St. Vincent, with its charming botanical gardens; of 
quaint, mediaeval Santiago de Cuba, with its decisive battle- 
fields of San Juan and El Caney; of Havana, with the ill-fated 



t4 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

"Maine" still lying a conspicuous wreck in her magnificent 
harbor; of the popular fan store, — the largest in the world, — 
and specially the cordial greeting from our old friend, Lieut. 
Squiers, formerly of the U. S. legation, Peking, China, and 
now U. S. minister to Cuba; of Barbadoes, where George 
Washington, accompanying his invalid elder brother, Lawrence, 
caught the smallpox; and of Nassau, with its fairylike sub- 
marine gardens, — seen through glass plates in the bottom of 
row-boats, — and its famous, elegant, colossal hotels. 

These emerald isles of the Caribbean are full of suggestive- 
ness to the lover of rural art. It was after a visit to the West 
Indies that the lamented Andrew H. Green, "the Father of 
Greater New York", returned home with new ideas about the 
possibilities of rural art. As stated by the trustees of the New 
York Public Library on the 9th inst., in a memorial on Andrew 
H. Green, "His activities * * were largely instrumental in 
securing the Niagara Reservation * * as a state park. To 
his intelligence and broad-minded advocacy * * is due, in 
a large measure, the present extensive and perfected system 
of public parks in New York city. In an especial degree the 
beautiful Central Park represents the realization of ideas long 
cherished by him." Perhaps after studying these beautiful 
tropical islands, our Rural Art Society may be enthused with 
such inspiration and aspiration, as will still further "better and 
beautify Clinton". 



^ /^ /^ 

ROCKING to and fro, while listening to the music of 
the Military Band on the popular plaza of San Juan, 
Porto Rico, creates quite a different sensation from 
"rocking in the cradle of the deep" off Hatteras. 
The favorite, powerful steamship "Coamo" at the hour of 
high noon of Feb. 13, 1904, began plowing her way through 
drifting fields of broken ice, out of New York harbor 
upon the broad Atlantic. Steering southward, she in due 
time crossed the Gulf Stream, not neglecting to acknowledge 
the autocratic authority of headstrong Hatteras. Late on the 
the afternoon of the fourth day from New York, she rounded 
rocky, fortified Morro Castle, with the angry surf furiously 
dashing itself into foam at its base. Before dark, she was 
safely moored alongside of the newly constructed fireproof 
wharf at San Juan, Porto Rico. 

Proceeding up from the harbor to the central public square^ 
called "plaza", which was brilliantly lighted by electricity, we 
found the thoroughfare and plaza well filled with a moving 
populace, who had gathered there to while away a few hours 
in the mild, summerlike atmosphere, while a well-trained brass 
band discoursed excellent music, as indicated in neatly printed 
programs. The last selection on the program was "The Star 
Spangled Banner". So soon as the band began to play this 
national air, all promenading ceased, and the men at once re- 
spectfully took off their hats, thus exhibiting a spirit of 
patriotism for their native or adopted country. 

The plaza seemed to be filled with the same crowd of orderly 
loiterers, as sauntered there a year ago, and the same occu- 
pants, rocking in the same long rows of ea.sy willow rockers, 
while the same apparently endless file of promenaders were 
still strolling leisurely along. Some men wore straw hats and 
sported light canes. Some were accompanied by Porto Rican 
ladies, attractively attired in gowns of light fabrics and adorned 
with lace and articles of fancy, fluffy lightness, while their 
dainty white slippers were occasionally visible, as they glided 



i6 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

past in the ever moving cavalcade. Trolley cars, carriages, 
the postoffice, the public reading-rooms, shops and cafes, all 
seemed to be well patronized. Bulletins in English on the 
front wall of a newspaper office announcing latest telegrams 
from the seat of war in the Far East, attracted attention, until 
the arrival of one of our passengers, Samuel Gompers, presi- 
dent of the American Federation of Labor, whom the crowd 
heartily greeted with loud cheers, as if entirely unconscious 
that his presence among them might make them more and 
more discontented with their present status of freedom from 
the yoke of Spain, and less appreciative of their present fine 
educational facilities. If reports be true, ice-cream soda, coco 
cola, aromatic coffee, and similar mild drinks, to be obtained 
at Cafe Margarita, did not suit the taste of this labor agitator. 

The famous Spanish Military Road, along which we had 
traveled by trolley last year to its terminus at Rio Pedras, had 
a peculiar fascination for us. This Military Road has been 
admirably constructed, so that its surface is as smooth as the 
drives in Central Park, New York. Engineering skill of the 
highest order has been employed in its construction over the 
central mountain ranges. It has been called the finest road in 
the Western Hemisphere. It certainly can vie in regard to its 
daring feats in engineering and its charming kaleidoscopic 
vistas with the carriage-road from Merced to the Yosemite 
Valley, Cal., with the celebrated Simplon Road over the Alps, 
the famous Cornice Road between Nice and Mentone along 
the Riviera, the magnificent coast drive from Salerno to 
Amalfi in Italy, or the entrancingly lovely ride over the cele- 
brated Yagami pass in Japan. 

This fine Military Road connects the capital, San Juan, on 
the north side of the island, with Ponce (pronounced Pon-say), 
its chief commercial city, eighty miles distant, on the south 
side. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not an old road, 
contemporary with the antique, massive "Casa Blanca", or 
"White House", constructed for Ponce de Leon, nearly four 
centuries ago. It is an entirely modern affair, begun by the 
Spaniards in 1880 and finished in 1888, just ten years before 
the American occupation. It is kept in excellent repair by 
gangs of "peons" or laborers, for whose benefit special neat 
buildings have been erected at intervals along the roadside. 
Since Porto Rico is now in the possession of the United States, 



S 



A Trip to Porto Rico. I7 

we were not surprised to find several large steam-rollers, made 
at Springfield, O., doing good service in keeping the road in 
repair. 

Our carriage — an extension top surrey — was drawn by a pair 
of sturdy ponies of Andalusian stock, whose driver knew how 
to handle the ribbons in native style. Although he was the 
proud owner of an American watch, yet he appeared to be a 
lineal descendant of ancient Jehu. As is the usual experience 
of tourists over this road, our sympathies were wrought up 
and drawn out towards these agile, hardy beasts, when we saw 
them, dripping wet with sweat and panting for breath, as if 
they would drop down the next moment from sheer exhaustion, 
while this reckless driver, by call and whip, would still urge 
them on, regardless even of an up-hill pull. However, we 
tried to console ourselves with the reflection, that it was his 
interest not to harm these animals, and also they would have a 
good rest, so soon as a fresh relay would take their places and 
be urged to scamper along, up hill and down, at the same 
scurrying speed. The surreys, — to be found all over Porto 
Rico, — are sent "knock-down" from the States to the island, 
where they are put together. They are very light, easy-riding 
carriages, so that at the close of a day's journey we did not 
feel any more fatigued than if we had taken a ride of a few 
hours over an ordinary road at home. 

The rich profusion of the tropical vegetation, as we sped 
along, was a perpetual delight. The luxuriance and brilliancy 
of the flowers by the homes of the natives, the prickly cacti 
hedges by the roadside, the tall, graceful royal palms, cocoa- 
palms, with clusters of huge nuts high up under their gigantic 
leaves, orange groves, with their golden fruit, the bright green, 
dense foliage of the mango trees, the glossy red leaves of the 
almond trees, the uncouth, jagged foliage of the bread-fruit 
trees, and the low growth of the coffee plantations, secluded 
and protected by other and more hardy trees, which would 
doubtless have escaped our notice had not our attention been 
called to them by our driver, all added variety and charm to 
the landscape. 

Near Aibonito, located in a high plain surrounded by moun- 
tains, there were hundreds of acres of tobacco in the fields. 
The tobacco plant was covered with a coarse white cloth, re- 
sembling cheese-cloth. This protected the tobacco plants 



18 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

from the sun and wind, producing thereby a choice brand of 
tobacco. These cloth screens were erected on poles high 
enough for a yoke of oxen to plow underneath. 

Towards evening, we left the main road, forded a small river, 
and, after a detour of a few miles, arrived at a famous watering 
place, the former "Monte Carlo of the West Indies", Coamo 
Springs. The picturesque fascination of this charming tropi- 
cal resort was enhanced by the aromatic perfumes of fragrant 
flowers; the discriminating aesthetic taste evidenced in em- 
bellishing this lovely rural retreat, already richly endowed by 
its Creator with rare pristine beauty; the invigorating hot 
baths, and the solitary, gigantic, grotesque ceiba tree, which 
Kingsley rapturously describes in his "Westward Ho!" as "the 
mighty ceiba tree. And what a tree that was! The hugest 
English oak would have seemed a stunted bush beside it. 
Borne up on roofs, or rather walls, of twisted board, some 
twelve feet high, between which the whole crew, their ammu- 
nitions and provisions, were housed roomily, rose the enormous 
trunk, fully forty feet in girth, towering like some tall light- 
house, smooth for a hundred feet, then crowned with boughs, 
each of which was a stately tree, whose topmost twigs were 
full two hundred and fifty feet from the ground. # * * 
Once in the tree, you were within a new world, suspended be- 
tween heaven and earth, and, as Cary said, no wonder, if like 
Jack, when he climbed the magic bean-stalk, you had found a 
castle, a giant, and a few acres of well-stocked parks, packed 
away somewhere amid that labyrinth of timber." 

The spacious, old-fashioned, rambling hotel was clean and 
the food abundant, yet the management was not up to date. 
One American of our party afifirmed, that under the manage- 
ment of an enterprising American this hotel could be made a 
success, for the water of the springs would furnish power 
enough to provide electric lights for the vast establish- 
ment and also supply running water for all the rooms of 
the hotel. 

Repairing to the capacious dining-room, an aged darkey 
motioned us to a seat and acted as our waiter. Since he had 
been brought up at St. Thomas, he spoke English. When the 
United States troops arrived at Coamo Springs, he had acted as 
interpreter. As he was afflicted with deafness, he was provided 
with a silver-plated ear trumpet, perforated with little holes 



A Trip to Porto Rico. 



19 



like a pepper-box. To a gentleman from Dunkirk, N. Y., he 
rattled off the chief articles of diet from the menu card, 
among which were roast beef, broiled chicken, calves' brains, 
etc., etc. The deliciously relaxing pervasiveneness of this 
"dolce far niente" atmosphere amid such an entrancing envir- 
onment seemed to have suddenly acclimated this tourist with 
the pure spirit of Spanish "manana", so that not the slightest 
trace of hurry or strenuosity was visible in his appearance. 
This intelligent negro, noticing this, without much ado 
adjusted his ear trumpet in working order and in a sonorous, 
abrupt voice innocently inquired, "Do you want some brains, 
sir"? An audible smile played over the faces of the other 
guests at that table, with the result that this Dunkirk repre- 
sentative, somehow or other, decided at that meal not to order 
brains of calf, sheep or any other animal. 

Before retiring, we glanced over some Spanish newspapers, 
deciphering telegrams announcing bitter cold blasts in New 
York, with the East River frozen over, blockading the ferry 
boats and other shipping, while here we were reveling in the 
balmy, mild climate and enjoying the refreshing hot baths of 
this famous resort. As we retired for the night, we were not 
shut into any stuffy bedroom. No glass-windows nor close 
fitting shutters excluded the pure air with its redolent fra- 
grance. The open slats of the Venetian blinds allowed a free 
circulation of air from our apartments and the pure, balmy 
atmosphere of tropical outdoors. 

After spending a few days at Ponce, beloved by Americans, 
we again boarded our steamers and skirted along the southern 
coast of the island, visiting two mammoth sugar establish- 
ments at Guanica and Aguirre, both beautifully located in 
landlocked harbors. Sugar cane is not planted like our Indian 
corn, from kernels, but like willow saplings, from slips. The 
two topmost joints are cut off from the stalks of the sugar 
cane, and these slips are planted in hills about four feet apart, 
so that the tips of these green stalks project a couple of inches 
from the ground. This planting lasts for ten or a dozen years, 
as these roots replant themselves by sending up retenos or 
shoots. However, thrifty planters attain better results by 
planting every five or seven years, depending upon the soil. 

These large sugar companies control thousands of acres for 
their plantations of sugar-cane and own their own railroads 



20 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

cars, locomotives and outfit complete. As tourists, we were 
given gratuitous railway rides over their immense estates. 
Here we saw four yoke of sleek oxen pulling at one plow 
through the rich soil, watched the planting of the cane, noticed 
the native wield the sharp machete in cutting the cane and 
trimming off the long leaves, and observed whole carloads of 
cane hoisted at once, by machinery, high in the air, where it 
was weighed, then by titanic cranes moved over and into a 
large vat and then under a steam crusher, when the juice 
was squeezed out, like sap. After the sugar-cane had been 
twice subjected to pressure by powerful steel crushers, the 
dry and woody pulp was diverted by an ingenious mechan- 
ism to the neighborhood of the steam furnace, where it 
served for fuel in running the extensive machinery, and 
saved the expense of using wood or coal. The juice of the 
sugar-cane passes through various processes of boiling, until 
until it finally comes out as molasses or sugar The molasses 
is stored in colossal round iron tanks, resembling the large gas 
reservoirs near or in American cities. The desired quality of 
sugar is q6 per cent, pure, and it is packed in bags holding 
about 325 pounds, which are shipped by the thousands in our 
steamers and other vessels, chiefly to the sugar refineries of 
Havermeyer Bros., Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Porto Rican coffee is considered by connoisseurs as among 
the finest in the world. The caf^s of Vienna, Berlin, Milan, 
Paris and other European cities have long been acquainted 
with its fine quality and exquisite aroma. When the American 
palate becomes familiar with its superior flavor, there will 
doubtless be a great demand for this high grade of coffee in 
the United States. At present, however, almost the entire 
export crop is sent to foreign lands, where its excellent quali- 
ties are highly appreciated. Inside a large warehouse at the 
playa of Ponce, were stacked large piles of bags of this choice 
coffee, marked Trieste, Hamburg, Genoa, Havre, Rotterdam, 
Sundsvall, and even Havana, but a glance all around amid the 
mass of bags did not reveal a single bag labeled New Orleans, 
New York, or any other city on the American continent. 

Upon our outward voyage, we had the honor to sit at the 
dining table by the side of a dignified, genial Bishop, but upon 
the return trip we found ourselves ensconced amid a most 
agreeable and sprightly party of five American gentlemen and 



A Trip to Porto Rico. 2r 

ladies, all of whom had invested in orange groves. They were 
very enthusiastic over orange culture and their future fortunes, 
accruing thereby. One gentleman of this party, who, by the 
way, is the president of the Citrus Fruit Co., owning large 
groves in Porto Rico, and whose main office is in New York, 
imparted much valuable information. In speaking of the fer- 
tility of the soil on his plantation near San Juan, he stated, that 
he had planted string beans and in two weeks they were served 
on his table, and he had also planted peas and cucumbers, 
which were served on his table in twenty or twenty-one days. 
In planting an orange grove, first a lemon stock of some six or 
eight months' growth is used, since the lemon stock has hardier 
roots, resisting better the attacks of insects. Upon this lemon 
stock is budded the orange, either the delicious sweet native 
variety, the Florida Indian River, the California navel, or any 
other desired species. After five years, these orange trees 
bear fruit regularly, which this Citrus Fruit Co. gather, pack, 
and ship to the New York market, charging only a small per- 
centage for their labors. My room-mate, a graduate of Hamil- 
ton College on the Hill, was deeply interested in an orange 
orchard, which, although only of three years' growth, had begun 
to yield a few specimens of this luscious, golden fruit. By some 
stroke of good fortune, there were a number of cocoanut palms 
in one part of his orange grove. It chanced that while we were 
on the island, an enterprising Yankee from Hartford, Conn., 
having a scheme for dessicating cocoanuts before exportation 
and thereby saving freight, came along and purchased all his 
cocoanuts. Rumor said, that my room-mate, who formerly- 
trudged up and down College Hill and passed his exams, as 
other Hamilton students do today, cleared enough off that 
cocoanut transaction to pay all his steamship expenses going 
and coming. Who now can say that a college education pre- 
vents one from making money? Since frosts are unknown in 
Porto Rico, the orange groves are never injured by freezing 
temperature, and the convalescent from northern climes need 
never fear a sudden cold spell, which sometimes renders a 
winter visit to Florida or southern California such a disap- 
pointing and cheerless experience. 

A midwinter vacation to England for the same time and 
expense maj^ have its attractions to some. If one's object is to 
continue in a strenuous life of today, let one cross the north 



22 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

Atlantic in midwinter with its perilous gales, amid snow and 
ice. After arrival, let him spend most of his time in the stuffy, 
vitiated air of artificially heated hotels, museums and other 
buildings, or out in the chilly, smoky, slushy streets of London. 
Certainly there is no accounting for tastes. However, any one 
whose burdened spirit incessantly and relentlessly cries out 
within him: "Oh that I had the wings of a dove ! Then 
would I fly away and be at rest", should take passage in the 
gallant steamship, "Coamo." Soon he would be carried away 
from the frozen north to the sunny south, where he will find 
most refreshing relaxation, and where cold, frost and snow are 
either entirely unknown or only dimly discerned as some far- 
off fairy tale. 

"Where the long-billed pelican 

Skims the sea with wary eye. 

And the dawn leaps up the sky 

Like the opening of a fan; 

Where the fruiter's dugout slips 

With strange cries among the ships, 

And the spring lasts all the year. 

Green leaf following the sear. 

Flower and fruit together making life complete. 

There I long again to be 

With the palm tree over me 

And the Caribbean breaking at my feet." 



M Crip to Crinma, 

^ ^ ^ 

'"> I ' T RINIDAD would be the ideal place for a winter va- 

I cation, if it were not so far from New York," said 

I Commodore E. C. Benedict, of the American steam 

yacht "Virginia", to a reporter of the New York 

Times, as published in its issue of January 31, 1905. He had 

just returned from an extended cruise, during which he had 

visited the Bermudas, the Bahamas, and thirteen islands of the 

West Indies, and therefore might be considered, as competent 

to express such an opinion as the above. 

Trinidad is a British crown-colony. This statement was 
made to an intelligent, traveled business man of Oneida County 
upon our return, when he at once replied, "That is enough! 
That explains fully! Order, safety and prosperity are all 
included." On arriving there. Com. Benedict said, "We again 
at once felt the genius of the English for colonial government." 
Venezeula — lying only a few miles distant, in chronic turmoil 
— is a striking contrast to Trinidad. 

The world-renowned pitch lake, and Tobago, Robinson 
Crusoe's island, were also inducements thither, when a certain 
lad, with his dad, went to Trinidad. 

The steady, seaworthy steamer "Maracas", of the Trinidad 
Shipping and Trading Co., furnished with bilge-keel and 
equipped with electricity, ploughed her way through the drift- 
ice of New York harbor out into the wide ocean. After the 
second day, we were pleasantly steaming away over smooth 
seas with milder temperature. The ship's officers were British, 
and the cabin boys were negroes from Barbados, while the 
hard working crew were all Italians. (Right here would be an 
opportune place to enlarge upon the transitory grandeur of 
nations, as one gazed upon these descendants of the mighty 
Romans doing the menial work upon a British ship. Gibbon's 
"Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" might be quoted. 
Then a passing allusion might be made to Spain, to which 
Salisbury once applied the adjective — "decadent". Both 
Rome and Spain were world-powers, but in the language of 



24 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

Bryon, referring to the Isles of Greece, "Where are they? 
And where art thou, my country?" — but I forbear.) 

The fifth day out we sighted the island of Sombrero, and 
after that passed numerous other islands, until we entered the 
entrancingly picturesque harbor of St. Georges, Grenada — a 
miniature facsimile of Nagasaki, Japan. On the morning of 
the following day, the eighth day out, we passed through the 
"Dragon's Mouth" into the Gulf of Paria and cast anchor off 
the city of Port of Spain, Trinidad. 

A piercing, chilly wind was blowing a perfect gale, while we 
were trying to take a last view of Sandy Hook, shielding our- 
selves from the bitter cold blasts by standing one side of the 
woodwork near the captain's bridge. Noticing our discomfi- 
ture, Captain Kirkby very courteously opened the door to his 
stateroom under the bridge and invited us inside, where 
through the windows we enjoyed a fine unimpeded view of the 
wild wintry scene. Captain Kirkby later informed me that his 
father, a brother, and a brother-in-law were all "sky-pilots", as 
he termed them, but that he was simply a "sea pilot", and he 
was a most able and polite one, too. The chief officer took an 
interest in the lad from Clinton and one clear starlit evening 
led us up on top of the regular pilot-house, in order to show us 
the standard compass, an invention of Lord Kelvin. He 
explained how its six parallel needles were kept from deviat- 
ing by certain bar magnets, suspended at each side, and by a 
large one in front, so as to counteract the influence of the 
immense smokestack, over sixteen feet distant. He pointed 
out the two soft iron balls some six inches in diameter at each 
side of this magnet, as well as the brass railing around, which 
was a non- conductor, and stated that this compass cost i^40, 
or about ^200. Then he allowed us to handle the sextant in 
taking observations, and showed how observations were taken 
from the polar star, and soon calculated in the wheel-house 
below the exact latitude and longitude of the place, where we 
then were. From these two incidents, it is apparent, that the 
officers were not very uncivil. 

Trinidad is the Spanish word for Trinity. The French still 
call the island in their tongue, "La Trinite," instead of the 
Spanish term, which the English-speaking races have adopted. 
Columbus discovered this island in 1498, on his third voyage, 
when he noticed three peaks of mountains together, and so 



A Trip to Trinidad. 25 

gave it the name. The island is some fifty-five miles long and 
thirty-five wide. The population of Port of Spain, its capital, 
is about the same as that of Utica, N. Y. This city lies south 
of the latitude of the northern coast of Venezuela. 

Lafcadio Hearn, before visiting Japan, describes the ap- 
proach to Trinidad: "Then we begin to steam along a mighty, 
tropical shore, before a grand, volcanic billowing of hills, all 
wrapped in forest from sea to sky — astounding forests, dense, 
impenetrable, sombre; every gap a blackness as of ink. Tre- 
mendous palms here and there overtop the denser foliage, and 
queer green monsters, never seen before, rise over the forest 
level against the azure, spreading out in immense flat crests, 
from which masses of creepers stream down like huge green 
rags. This forest-front has the solidity of a wall, the loftiness 
of a mountain; and forty-five miles of it undulate unbrokenly 
past us, rising by terraces or projecting in turrets, or shooting 
up into cathedral forms, or displaying extravagant mockeries 
of castellated architecture." 

Trinidad boasts of its immunity from hurricanes, earth- 
quakes and volcanic eruptions. The awful catastrophe of St. 
Pierre, Martinique, caused some apprehension in regard to the 
wonderful Pitch Lake, but nothing unusual could be observed. 
The British flag insures security and prosperity. Port of Spain 
is the most attractive, cleanly and enterprising city in the West 
Indies. Peoples from various ends of the earth compose its 
cosmopolitan population, of British, Spanish, French, Can- 
adians, Negroes, Chinese and Hindoos, 

While addressing a crowded audience in the largest Wes- 
leyan church on the island, we were surprised to notice the 
absence of the color line in the congregation. About seven- 
tenths of the people present were black or colored, while the 
white people were mingled, apparently indiscriminately, to- 
gether in the house of the Lord. Remarking upon this fact to 
a Canadian visitor after the close of the service, he replied 
with words to this effect: "Only Christianity could produce 
such social equality." 

Shortly after our arrival on the island, we entered one of the 
many large, excellent, department stores, in order to purchase 
a straw hat. Still wearing a Derby hat, we were taken for 
Spaniards, and so were accosted in that language, although 
English is generally spoken there. While we were there, the 



26 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

British barque, Avon, from Calcutta, India, arrived, having on 
board six hundred and nine Hindoo coolies, who were soon to 
work on some of the large sugar estates. The wages of the 
coolies must be, according to contract, under government 
supervision, at least 25 cents per day, but often they receive 
thirty or thirty-five, and sometimes forty cents per day. After 
five years they may return home, or, if they decide to remain, 
the government will grant them a small section of land, where 
they may build and farm. 

Before we left Trinidad, an Italian man-of-war, the "Dogali", 
anchored off the city. This war-vessel had steamed some two 
thousand five hundred miles up the Amazon, even within the 
boundary of Peru. 

An extensive, beautiful park, called "The Queen's Park 
Savannah", or, simply, "The Savannah", adorns the center of 
this enterprising town. Fronting it are commodious hotels, 
the governor's house, and elegant, substantial residences. 
Electricity is freely employed in telephone, telegraph, lights 
and trolley. The trolley cars are kept neat and clean. Six 
tickets can be had for a quarter, or a shilling, and transfer 
tickets are given, as with us. The American origin of these 
cars is manifest by the name of "J. G. Brill & Co., Phila.", while 
the rheostat indicated that it was manufactured by the General 
Electric Co., part of whose plant is at Schenectady, N. Y. 

Near the Savannah, where polo, golf, baseball, cricket and 
other games are played, is the celebrated Botanical Garden. 
Here we saw the camphor tree, whose prototype flourishes in 
China, cinnamon groves, like those in Ceylon, coffea robusta 
from Africa, rubber, cocoa, mahogany and other tropical trees. 

Our attention was especially called to the immortelle trees, 
about the size of an ordinary peach tree, some of whose red 
petals and black seeds were still clinging to the leafless 
branches, while they served as supports to the useful vines of 
vanilla and black pepper. 

Port of Spain has four English papers; two daily and two 
weekly. 

Pure ice, made out of distilled water from which the lime 
has been precipitated, is sold for ;^5 per ton, and delivered in 
lots of 25 lbs., 50 lbs., or lOO lbs., to suit customers, and it is 
sold at retail at the rate of two pounds for one penny. In the 
stores, where any article is marked at 24 cents, the price is 



A Trip to Trinidad. 27 

paid in a one shilling silver coin, English currency. The 
prices of goods for sale are often marked in dollars and cents 
in American style, but American currency, except gold coin, 
is not current, and the articles purchased have to be paid for 
in pounds, shillings and pence. This strange incongruity 
vividly brings to mind an incident which occurred years ago 
in Council Bluffs, la. A commercial traveler was entering the 
hotel bus to ride to the railroad station. The day was exces- 
sively hot and sultry, so, as he was mopping the perspiration 
from his brow, he in a loud voice spelled out "w-a-r-m" and 
immediately pronounced it "hot"! Prices in dollars and cents, 
and payments in shillings and pence, seemed just such an 
anomaly. Colloquially, a shilling is known as a "bob". In 
bargaining for a cabman to take us with our baggage to the 
steamer pier, I asked him whether three shillings and sixpence 
would answer, when he replied, "four bobs would be all right." 
"Catching bobs" in Trinidad has quite a different meaning 
from what it has in Clinton. 

A Woman's Exchange, which in late years has been so pop- 
ular in most American cities, is called here the "Trinidad 
Home Industries Association", and is located on Frederick 
street, one of the most popular thoroughfares. Here after- 
noon tea and light refreshments are served by the ladies, and 
dainty articles of woman's handiwork are for sale. 

For years the corbeaux, or buzzards, as in Charleston, S. C, 
have been acting as public scavengers. Lately, however, a 
new system of sewerage has been inaugurated, and the ques- 
tion of exterminating these birds of ill-omen is being dis- 
cussed with animation. 

Sir Walter Raleigh, in his voyages, refers to the famous 
Pitch Lake, which in our days has been long controlled by 
the American Asphalt Co. He affirms that the pitch is better 
than that obtained from trees, and that the supply is sufficient 
for the use of the whole world. This remark seems as true 
today, as when he uttered it. It was a genuine surprise to find 
that the upper, outer crust was hard enough — like ice on a pond 
in winter— for us to walk upon it in safety. After watching 
upon its surface carts and horses, and also a movable narrow- 
guage railway, into which the pitch was being shovelled, all 
fear of sinking down into abyssmal, fiery depths of the earth, 
was dissipated. Hot? I should say so! Our sympathies were 



28 Three Trips to the Tropics. 

aroused for those early voyagers, like Columbus and Raleigh, 
suffering from the torrid heat, and we might well quote from 
the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner": 

"All in a hot and copper sky. 

The bloody sun at noon 
Right up above the mast did stand 

No bigger than the moon. 

Day after day, day after day 
We stuck — nor breath nor motion; 

As idle as a painted ship 
Upon a painted ocean." 

While the days are excessively hot out under the direct rays 
of a fierce tropical sun, the nights are deliciously balmy and 
refreshing, being cooled by the trade winds. 

Passing through the streets of Port of Spain, a certain pla- 
card attracted our attention. It read like this: 



"WANTED IMMEDIATELY. 

1000 STRONG LABORERS 

FOR PANAMA. 

75 CENTS PER DAY AND FIND. 

APPLY ETC., ETC." 



Alexander Selkirk doubtless was shipwrecked on the island 
of Juan Fernandez in the Pacific Ocean, but DeFoe, in his im- 
mortal story, "Robinson Crusoe," the favorite with boys, cer- 
tainly placed his hero on the island of Tobago, known as 
"Robinson Crusoe's Island", DeFoe locates it near latitude 
12 degrees north, after sailing from Brazil, speaks of the 
mouth of the Orinoco River, and mentions the Carib tribe of 
Indians, from which the Caribbean Sea takes its name. For a 
long time he mistook Trinidad for the mainland, as Columbus, 
centuries earlier, mistook the mainland of South America for 
an island. 

A visit to "Crusoe's Island" revealed the fact that tamed 
goats, such as Crusoe had, were still roaming on the island, 
cocoa palms with their nutritious fruit were still abundant, 
edible crabs were still crawling over the rocky shore, and, 
besides, as if for our special delectation, fresh footprints from 
bare feet were visible upon the sandy beach, like those of 



A Trip to Trinidad. 29 

Friday and other Carib savages, which so disturbed the mind 
of Robinson Crusoe. Through the courtesy of our estimable 
landlady at Trinidad, we were provided with a letter of intro- 
duction to an uncle of hers, one of the leading business men 
of Scarborough, the principal town on the island. Early in 
the evening came from him a polite invitation to come and 
spend the evening at his elegant, commodious residence. 
There in the balmy air on the veranda and in the cool parlor, 
the evening swiftly passed away, in conversation and in lis- 
tening to excellent music, both vocal and instrumental, ren- 
dered by his finely-cultured daughters. The following morn- 
ing we returned to Trinidad on the fine steamship "Severn", of 
the British Royal Mail Line. 

Some persons are not aware how cheaply a trip to the tropics 
can be made. The Booth Steamship Line offers a trip of 21 
days' to Barbados and back, including six days' board at the 
popular Marine View Hotel, for the price of ^75— all included. 

In its outward voyage, our steamship, "Maracas", carried 
southward a cargo chiefly of barrels of flour and grain. On 
her return from the tropics, the cargo was composed largely 
of cocoa beans, out of which chocolate, cocoa and broma are 
made, and also considerable sugar. 

Snow and ice are not native products of Trinidad. As we 
entered New York harbor and beheld once more white streaks 
of snow on the bluffs of Staten Island, a lady, who was travel- 
ing en route to England with her daughter, remarked, "I have 
not seen snow for six years." A Scotchman, who had been in 
a sugar manufacturing business at Trinidad, later said, that he 
had not seen snow before for twenty-five years. 

Now we are back again in the land of wintry snow and ice, 
but we are still carrying fond memories of "those blessed 
isles", where, Scott says: — 

"The wind breathed soft as lover's sigh. 
And, oft renewed, seemed oft to die, 
With breathless pause between. 
Oh, who with speech of war and woes 
Would wish to break the soft repose 
Of such enchanting scene?" 



The Courier Press, 
Clinton, N. Y. 



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